Mr. Petroleum Engineer (Kellogg, DARDEN 2021 & INSEAD SEP 2021 Intake)

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING INTO DARDEN BEFORE YOU STARTED WORKING WITH MBA AND BEYOND? 

“Don’t be afraid to fail, Be afraid not to try” – Lebron James

Already having failed to secure even an interview last year from Darden, my expectations were already rock bottom this year. I had half a mind not to reapply as I hadn’t improved any aspect of my MBA-application. Last year, I tried writing my most significant and impactful stories and incidentally, they were not good enough for top B-schools like INSEAD/Darden. I figured that something needed to change this time and chose to work with MBA and B ( due to a glowing recommendation from a friend) to put my best application forward.  

HOW DID YOUR FEELING ABOUT GETTING AN ADMIT CHANGE AS YOU STARTED WORKING WITH MBA AND B? 

Having previously worked with an Admissions consultant in the past, I already had an idea of what to expect from MBA&B in terms of engagement and their overall help with the story. However, my expectations were surpassed on the very first call with my consultant, when we ended up talking about my life story for 2 hours. MBA & Beyond has developed a unique methodology to take you through the guided journey of the MBA application process starting from “Self-Discovery” to “finalizing stories” and writing an exceptional application. 

After reviewing my past application with my consultant, I realized that my application is not standing out from the over-represented pool of “Indian Engineers”. MBA and B helped me understand that the MBA application-game is all about your USP and branding. And this was exactly what I needed to crack the admission at Darden. 

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT OUR PROCESS? 

1. Structured Process: I felt that the best aspect of working with MBA & B was their structured methodology for every aspect of application -be it Resume, LOR, Essays, or even Interviews. It is a very sophisticated approach that makes the whole process very organized and easier to follow. 

2. Homework for the next session: Another astonishing fact about them is that they will never let you end your call without setting “Homework” for the next session. For someone like me, who easily gets absorbed at work and puts other things on the back-burner, this approach worked very well to stay on track and submit my apps within the deadline. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK DIFFERENTIATES MBA AND BEYOND FROM OTHER CONSULTANTS? 

Detailed and frequent discussions: Interaction and discussion sessions with my consultant are long(1-2hrs) and very frequent (2-3 /week). I really admired him going out of the way to engage and connect with me on such a level, where we could have honest discussions about our family, hobbies, music, politics and whatnot. I really feel that level of engagement that consultants at MBA & B has with their candidates is unparalleled compared to any other admissions consultant. 

Do you think the efforts that MBA and Beyond put in a candidate’s application is worth the money you paid?

Definitely, they are very focused on creating admits and motivates you even when you lose hope in yourself. I believe for the time and effort my consultant has put into my application and interview preparation, it was definitely a great pleasure and worth every penny. 

WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE ABOUT OUR PROCESS OR ANY FEEDBACK YOU WOULD WANT TO GIVE?

My overall experience with MBA and B was amazing. Apart from admits from Darden and INSEAD, I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the team. However, engaging in deep “Self-Discovery” sessions with my consultant has given me a new way of introspection as well. 

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND US TO OTHERS?

I will definitely recommend MBA and Beyond to any MBA candidate who wants to get into any of the top B-schools and are not afraid to put an effort and venture on the journey of “Self-improvement” and “excellence”.